This chapter shows how to get your Windows 8.1 computer ready to use by adding devices (printers, etc), connecting to networks, managing power use settings, and getting files from other machines onto your new computer.

This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

This chapter helps you get your computer ready to use with the following tasks:

Adding devices in Windows 8.1

Connecting to wireless networks

Managing your PC power

Transferring files

Recovering your Windows 8.1

We live in an age of connected everything. We connect our phones and MP3 players and cameras to our PCs and tablets; we connect through the Web with computers we never see; we can access the file we left at home through the Web thanks to SkyDrive. The potential for connecting is almost limitless.

Windows 8.1 lets you easily prepare your PC and get things up and running. In Windows 8.1, Microsoft has rebranded Play To as Play and has changed the way you access this functionality from the Devices charm and pane. Fortunately, it’s still pretty obvious.

First, you must ensure that the device you want to use for playback is connected to your PC. This happens in PC Settings, as before, but with the changes in 8.1, you’ll need to do some extra digging, so navigate to PC & Devices and then Devices. Check your list of Play devices. If the device is present, you’re good to go. Play, like Play To before it, remains mostly “dumb” in that it requires your PC to stay awake and on for the playback to work. That’s because the content is streaming from the PC, not handing off playback as with Play On Xbox. Put simply: A few UI changes have occurred, but everything basically works as before.

When you plug in a printer to your Windows 8.1 PC, the operating system automatically detects the printer and installs the necessary drivers. You can also set up devices that Windows 8.1 doesn’t recognize right off the bat.

In addition to setting up your devices to work with Windows 8.1, you can add new wireless connections and choose a power management setting that helps you conserve energy without compromising performance power.

One other important aspect to preparing your PC involves knowing what to do if your computer begins behaving badly and you need to remove system changes or return to the way you’d previously configured it. Read on to finish preparing your Windows 8.1 PC so you can get on with all the fun stuff you want to do.

Adding Devices in Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 includes an auto-discovery feature that scans for all devices connected to your PC or your network, detecting and connecting to printers, TVs, Xbox systems, and more. This means Windows 8.1 might be able to find and install all your computer peripherals automatically, without you needing to do anything at all! Wouldn’t that be nice?

The first step involves using the Settings charm in the Charms bar to see which devices Windows 8.1 has already discovered and added to your system. You can then add a device if you have one that isn’t included on the generated list.

Flummoxed by the Start Screen?

If you find the Windows 8.1 Start screen a bit overwhelming and you’d like to know more about the lay of the land before you begin changing settings, take a look at Chapter 3, “Using and Tweaking the Start Screen.” That chapter introduces you to this important first screen and provides some basic navigational techniques (and some tweaks you can try) as you’re acclimating to the new interface.

Viewing Installed Devices

You can take a look at the devices Windows 8.1 has found and installed automatically as part of your setup. And then, if needed, you can add a device or remove devices that were added but no longer need. To display the list, follow these steps:

On the Windows 8.1 Start screen, swipe in from the right or press Windows + C to display the Charms bar.

Notice that for some of the devices in the list, a status indicator shows whether the device is ready, offline, or needs your attention. This helps you know, for example, whether your printer is turned on and ready to receive files you send to be printed.

Adding a Device

If Windows 8.1 missed one of the devices you feel should be on the device list, you can scan again to see whether the device is discoverable. Before you tap or click Add a Device, be sure the device is connected to your computer or your home network and turned on. After you select Add a Device, Windows 8.1 scans your computer and shows any found devices in a pop-up list. You can then select the item you want to add to the Devices list in Windows 8.1.

Connecting a Device

You can also add a device by simply connecting it to your Windows 8.1 computer and letting Windows do the setup for you. For example, you might want to connect your MP3 player so that you can easily sync your podcasts and music.

With the Devices category selected in the PC and Devices screen, connect your device.

After a moment, Windows 8.1 displays the device in the Other Devices list.

If you connect your device to Windows 8.1 and the operating system doesn’t recognize the device you added, Windows 8.1 will display a message that setup needs to be finished in the Action Center. Click the link displayed in the message to go to the Action Center, and follow the steps to download and install it.

Removing a Device

You can remove a device you no longer need from the Devices list. Having extra devices in the Devices list doesn’t do any harm, but if you want to keep the list short so you can easily find what you need, you might want to take any unnecessary items off the list.

Tap or click the device you want to remove from the list.

If you’re sure you want to remove the device, tap or click the Remove Device button. Windows 8.1 removes the item from the list.

Troubleshooting Hardware Devices

Luckily, most of the time, your printer, router, scanner, camera, and drawing tablet function the way they’re supposed to. You plug them in to your Windows 8.1 PC, Windows finds the right drivers, and they’re ready for you to use. Simple.

But once in a while, devices have trouble. Your printer doesn’t print anything. Your router is blinking, but you have no Internet connection. Windows 8.1 doesn’t seem to be recognizing your MP3 player.

If you have trouble installing a device, you can use a Windows 8.1 troubleshooter to sleuth out the problem. Here are the steps:

Tap or click Configure a Device. In the Hardware and Devices screen that appears, click Next to begin the troubleshooter. Windows 8.1 detects and then displays a report of findings. The type of information you see depends on the device you’re using and the problems Windows 8.1 finds. When Windows 8.1 locates a problem, it asks whether you want to apply the selected fix or skip it.

If you’ve been through the troubleshooter and tried exploring additional options and nothing is fixing the problem you’re having, you can search online for help in the Windows Community, available at www.windows.microsoft.com. In addition to other Windows users, you’ll find Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) who might be able to offer insight into the problem you’re having. You also might be able to find a fix to the problem by searching for information about it using your favorite search engines.

Additionally, you can visit the website of the hardware manufacturer to see whether there are any known fixes for your particular issue. You might find it’s something as simple as a driver that needs updating, and the manufacturer site will be able to walk you through that process (or help you connect with tech support in some way).